Godsmelter - Blog Bandwagon
Prismatic Wasteland has once again put out the call for a Blog Bandwagon, this time focusing on maps. One of the options is to make something with a map donated by the inimitable Amanda Lee Franck. In this post, I'm trying to play a bit of both sides of the bandwagon, both keying the map and also thinking a little bit about how we use maps in our play. For me, the map is usually but one component of what's needed for an adventure. On top of the map and its keyed locations, you also need an encounter table, NPCs, maybe a timeline, or some other unique procedures. It's part of a body all working together to create an experience. But here, I'm trying to just put it all in the map key. The seeds of the other parts a GM would need to run this are in there, but there's some assembly required.
Below is a small adventure set at the location depicted in the map. I've written this for Eco Mofos, so this is an outpost in the Siberian tundra in the far, post-apocalyptic future. I'm also pulling loosely from Slavic/Turkic folklore for fleshing out what's going on here. Without further ado, here's what I've done with the map.
Godsmelter
0 - Fires of the smelter glow miles away on the tundra, the only landmark in the blasting snow obscuring even the mountains looming in the distance. Many have died passing this way. Corpses frozen in agony line the trail. They come for sacriferum, holy iron forged from the bones of a dead god. Many want it. Those who possess it can go far in the world.
Approaching in evening, sunset only two hours away, the wall and smoke of the smelter are finally visible. A long wail echoes out from behind the wall. Keening for the dead. The ground shakes, machinery groans, a platform rises slowly on towers above the wall, flags whipping in the wind below it.
On reaching the gate, all sounds have ceased.The smelter appears dead and empty. What could be going on inside?
The sun will set in an hour and a half (9 turns).
1 - The Wall
Jaggedly stacked blocks of permafrost cut from the earth, snow piled high against their flanks. The wall, 30 ft. high and 10 ft. thick, encircles a refuge of humanity in the wilderness 500 ft. in diameter. Thick steel gates are frozen open, hydraulic cylinders punctured and leaking fluid.
Repair hydraulic cylinders with 1 Supply and 2 Turns of work.
After sunset, Abaasy from the wastes come seeking warmth and flesh; 10-in-20 chance a new one comes each Turn. Abaasy are spirits of the long dead, left from an ancient battle on this plain, now transformed into one-eyed demons. With one arm and one leg, they push and pull themselves through the snow, staining it brown with old blood in their trail. 6 HP 8 STR 4 DEX 10 WIL Bite (d6) Critical Damage: Abaasy bites off a random limb and crawls away to eat it. After 2 Turns it will return with a new limb matching what it took (d4): 1) Right Arm, 2) Left Arm, 3) Right Leg, 4) Left Leg. Abaasy may come riding dragons with two heads, two tails, and eight legs (2-in-6 chance for each Abaasy). 12 HP 1 A 14 STR 12 DEX 10 WIL Bite (d12) or claws (d6x8) Special: When using claws, way attack up to eight targets in a round or attack the same target multiple times (take only the highest result if multiple attacks made on the same target.
2 - Weather Station
Automated system, instruments on the outside and massive computer banks inside. Sounds a blaring klaxon 10 minutes (1 turn) before ice storms arrive.
Ice storms last 2d12 minutes and inflict 1 STR damage per minute to anyone exposed to the ice; 1-in-20 chance each Turn that an ice storm approaches.
After sunset, 1-in-20 chance each turn equipment fails due to cold. Faint warning chime audible near the station when this happens. Repair with 1 Turn and 1 Supply.
3 - The Six Heads of Mogoydin
A duke of the Kingdom of Darkness, commander of the Abaasy, lord of those dead in battle. Their body of black iron was buried here long ago after defeat by the Kingdom of Light. Receding ice exposes the heads. The body goes deep below ground. A voice whispers in your head when you stare at a face, âAsk me what you will, and I will answer.â
*A Punk that stares at a face of Mogoydin may ask one question, which the GM must answer truthfully but maliciously, remembering Mogoydin serves theirself, not humanity. Their goal is to bring death here and drink blood**.***
The Ubir is hunting blood for Mogoydin. It has already killed three and fed their blood to the heads. If it can kill three more and feed their blood to the remaining three heads before sunrise, Mogoydin will rise.
4 - Barracks
Rows of minimal bunks. Communal showers. Lockers labelled by employee ID numbers. All in disorder, as if residents left in haste.
Each Turn spent searching the lockers yields one of the following items. Mark items off as they are found and select the next unmarked item on repeated rolls.
1 - Black Iron Key (Opens gate to The Stairs)
2 - Iron Charm (Abaasy and Ubir cannot approach one wearing this charm)
3 - Hoard of Junk Parts (3 Supply)
4 - Flare Gun (d6, sets target on fire)
5 - Black Cat (Scared and hiding, wants to be left alone)
6 - Marushyaâs Journal (2 Turns to gain relevant information)
Marushyaâs journal covers several months with sporadic entries. She talks first of the monthly gatherings of the young women at The Spot. She is finally old enough to join them in their ritual dancing led by the Holy Woman. One day after a meeting she and another woman, Zlaya, one she had never seen before, spent hours talking near the tree. She had never met a more fascinating person. But, Marushya didnât know where Zlaya lived. One night, she followed her in secret and saw her crouched beneath The Tree**. **When she approached, Marushya was horrified to see her love devouring a corpse**. **She ran in horror. She was scared to tell anyone. After the next meeting, Zlaya cornered her and asked if she had seen her at the tree. Marushya lied. Very well, Zlaya said, I will kill your father. She did. This continued for three more months, Zlaya killing friends and family of Marushya each time she denied seeing her at the tree**. **The entries end a week ago. Marushya swears she will finally tell the Holy Woman what is happening and end this.
5 - The Holy Place
Faint drumming wafts down from the platform on towers high above the ground, banners blowing in the wind. Massive machinery can raise and lower the platform. No clear way up, but the towers could be climbed by the brave.
Climbing the towers takes 3 Turns moving carefully or 1 Turn with a DEX Save (Fall and take d12 damage on failure).
Nothing on the platform but snowdrifts and a single structure. Drumming is louder here. Inside is full of fragrant smoke, the overpowering smell of sage from a fire in a round hearth in the center. There are two people. One, a middle-aged woman, huddles in the corner on a rug, scared, sipping a bowl of soup, refusing to talk. The other is an enigma. Wearing a long brown coat, covered in metal charms jingling as they dance around the fire, tapping on a drum held upside down. On her face is a hideous mask, covered in dried, leathery skin, with red eyes. She will not stop dancing and drumming, but she will talk. She is the Holy Woman. She is calling for aid from the Kingdom of Light. They are set upon from within by the Ubir and without by the Abaasy. Everyone is either dead or has fled down into The Chasm. Perhaps the Punks are the help she has been seeking?
The Holy Woman knows fire is the only way to defeat the forces of evil that assail them. There are tools in the workshops of The Chasm that may help. She must stay here to continue praying. The Chasm Gate is locked and impassable, but Punks could gain access through The Abandoned Chasm or the Emergency Access.
6 - The Tree
Ancient alder tree surrounded by a fence. Dozens of brass bells strung from the branches chime constantly in the wind. Piles of dirt and wooden slabs mark graves around the tree. A beautiful womanâs naked body lies on top of a pile of dirt next to the tree.
Body is slightly bloated, face flushed red, some blood under the fingernails. Dead by all signs, but unexpectedly limber, no rigor mortis.
This body is Zlaya, The Ubir. At sunset, she will rise and begin hunting, 8-in-20 chance each turn she appears behind a Punk as if out of nowhere, to attack. Ubir cannot truly be killed except by fire. If reduced to 0 STR, they will rise again the next night if not burned. 12 HP 14 STR 14 DEX 12 WIL Claws (d8+d8) Critical Damage: Ubir bites and eats flesh from her target, inflicting d4 STR damage. If the target dies, they will become an Ubir at sunrise unless their body is burned.
7 - The Spot
A pillar radiates heat channeled from the fires below. It is surrounded by broken bottles, dishes, and instruments in a mess of footsteps. A party ended here in haste. A body lies mangled, drained of blood, arm outstretched toward a lever on the side of the pillar.
âEmergency Releaseâ painted in bold letters above lever. It vents the heat from below, incinerating anything within 50 ft. of the pillar.
8 - Abandoned Chasm
Ladders plummet into dark and cold. Work here was abandoned when the left legs of Mogoydin were used up. Below is a labyrinth of abandoned scaffolding, tunnels, and workshops, nearly impossible to navigate.
Each Turn in the Abandoned Chasm, roll 1d6 to determine what the Punks find. Add +1 per turn spent in The Abandoned Chasm. Treat results greater than 8 as 8.
1 - Dusty Workshop - 3 Supply worth of materials here.
2 - Lost - Find nothing useful and return to previous location
3 - Rickety Scaffolding - DEX Save or fall down a level, taking 1d4 STR damage from the fall.
4 - Chort - Four-horned demon of the shadows clops around awkwardly on goat legs. Can breath fire, but prefers to wrestle. If pinned, it will ask for mercy in exchange for serving the victor. 4 HP 6 STR 5 DEX 6 WIL Fire Breath (d10+d10).
5 - Slag Pile - Refuse from smelting, contains shards of Sacriferum accidentally discarded.
6 - Climbing Gear - Rope, harness, and mechanical ascender. Poor condition (1-in-6 chance something breaks when used)
7 - Juice Stash - 8 Shots of juice in a shoebox hidden in a crevice.
8 - Tunnel to the Active Chasm - Hidden side tunnel leads to The Active Chasm.
9 - The Geysers
Two geysers spew boiling water once per Turn, falling in pools and running over the sides into the chasms. Fence prevents accidental entry, but is short enough to jump.
Geyser water inflicts d8 STR damage on anyone in the splash zone.
10 - The Gate
Black Iron gate guards the steps down to the Active Chasm. Gate vibrates with essential enchantments preventing any attempts to circumvent it while it is locked.
11 - Magma Cycler
Thundering fall of magma pumped from The Kingdom of Darkness to power the forges melting Mogoydin. Door to the pumphouse is locked. Outside are lockers with shiny brassy Fire Proximity Suits (Prevent any harm from heat to the user).
*The lock is good, but not unbreakable, it would be possible to break in with tools or strength**.***
Inside is a mess of pumping machinery and the magma outflow pipe feeding the magmafall. Emergency access grate to the fall is open.
Anyone entering without a Fire Proximity Suit takes 1 STR damage per turn from the heat. Foolish Punks could try to ride the magmafall down into the Active Chasm. They have a 2-in-6 chance of surviving.
12 - Emergency Access
Metal chain ladder dangling into The Active Chasm. It would be difficult to use, but not impossible. Those spending time observing from above will see and hear a shadowy shape flying past the ladder at regular intervals.
3 Turns to climb down the ladder carefully or DEX Save to climb in 1 Turn. Once per turn, the shadowy figure passes the ladder and will attack a random individual on it.
The flying figure is Marushya, transformed into a winged Ubir by Zlaya. 8 HP 10 STR 14 DEX 9 WIL Claws (d6+d6) Critical Damage: Marushya grabs her target and flies down with them to a platform in the Active Chasm to feed.
13 - Active Chasm
Rumbling factories housing magma-powered forges and workshops, day and night smelting a god into black iron. Confusing mess of scaffolding and stairs lead between them deep into the chasm.
Each turn in the Active Chasm, roll d6 to determine what the Punks find:
1 - Survivors - A group of workers huddled in a storeroom, terrified. Most are afraid to speak. One young woman can explain what has been happening. They wonât leave, but they can provide directions to gear useful for fighting the darkness. Next turn Punks may go straight to Gear Storage rather than rolling.
2 - Headless Ubir - An old man wanders around holding his head, his long beard brushing the floor, red eyes glowing like coals. He is hungry. 6 HP 8 STR 12 DEX 10 WIL Bite (d8). Critical Damage: Head bites deeply and locks its jaws, sucking blood furiously from the wound. STR save to remove and inflicts 1 STR damage per Turn while attached.
3 - Lost - Find nothing useful and return to previous location.
4 - Fireblast - Machinery from a nearby forge lets out a blast of flame from a vent, DEX Save or take 1d4 STR damage and catch on fire.
5 - Store Room - Spare parts and tools worth 5 Supply.
6 - Gear Storage - Stash of Flamethrowers (d10+d10 and ignite target) and Fire Proximity Suits (User takes no damage from heat). Posters on wall describe safety protocols for using this gear to melt parts off Mogoydinâs legs.
14 - The Observatory
Outside the wall, a radio antenna pointed to the farthest reaches of space. Inside the cramped observation chamber are pages and pages of notes from past observations. Clearly nobody has been here for a long time, but it is equippped with a geothermal heater and a pantry with several months of food. A small group of punks could live well here for a time.
An Abaasy on a Dragon waits nearby and will attack anyone attempting to access the Observatory.
Punks who spend time reading the observations will find records of messages from the Kingdom of Light. The faithful may gain access if they mount The Peak on a Holy Day (Solstice of Equinox). Tables calulate the Holy Days for the next five years. Most recently dated entry is from several months ago when whoever was here last set out for The Peak. The next Holy Day is in two months time. There are enough supplies to wait here until then.
15 - The Peak
The mountain looms over the tundra, a mass of white dotted with colored banners in a seemingly random pattern leading up to The Peak. Flags lead from an icy blue pond north of The Smelter in a winding path up the slopes. Following the path to The Peak takes 5 days. There is a 4-in-6 chance each night of an attack by an Abaasy riding a Dragon. Anyone on The Peak on a Holy Day will be raptured in a flash of blinding fire and taken to The Kingdom of Light, the realm of Ay Toyon, the nemesis of Mogoydin. Punks are welcome to stay in this Glade as long as they wish.